Happiness? You control how much? 12%

Posted on by Live & Learn

happiness

“HAPPINESS has traditionally been considered an elusive and evanescent thing. To some, even trying to achieve it is an exercise in futility. It has been said that “happiness is as a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but which if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you…Social scientists have caught the butterfly. After 40 years of research, they attribute happiness to three major sources:

  1. Genes: ~ 50% of happiness is genetically determined.
  2. One off-events: Up to 40% comes from things that have occurred in our recent past – but won’t last long. Happiness dissipates quickly from a big raise, a new job, a move to California.
  3. Values: 12%.  That might not sound like much, but the good news is that we can bring that 12 percent under our control. It turns out that choosing to pursue four basic values of faith, family, community and work is the surest path to happiness.

Empirical evidence that faith, family and friendships increase happiness and meaning are hardly shocking…Work, though seems less intuitive…Work can bring happiness by marrying our passions to our skills, empowering us to create value in our lives and in the lives of others.  Franklin D. Roosevelt had it right: “Happiness lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.”  In other words, the secret to happiness through work is earned success. This is not conjecture; it is driven by the data. Americans who feel they are successful at work are twice as likely to say they are very happy overall as people who don’t feel that way….You can measure your earned success in any currency you choose. You can count it in dollars, sure – or in kids taught to read, habitats protects or souls saved.”

Read full article in NY Times: Arthur C. Brooks, A Formula For Happiness

See video: The Secret to Happiness: A Few Simple Rules

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43 thoughts on “Happiness? You control how much? 12%”

  8. Hmmm…I think I pretty much agree with this post. For me, personally, I have always found that giving of myself has always brought me the most happiness…and that has included the sacrifices it has taken to raise my children, taking care of friends and loved ones, doing what I can for people less fortunate. All of that has made all the difference in my life. Those are the moments of happiness that live in my heart and that are the most enduring, and that continue through life now…and hopefully, always. It seems a pretty easy path to happiness to me.

  9. Food for thoughts- I think that so called 12% that we can control can fill up 100% of our happiness because we know we have made it happen. Got to say that the happiness if moving to California does not dissipate overtime for me 🙂

  11. 12% hmm?? Sorry, I need more control over my happiness than that. And last I looked there are so many variables in these percentages that cant’ be controlled for when coming up with the stats. So I’ll just take it in the moment – right now I’m pretty damn happy.

  12. I recently heard at a conference that the number 5 thing on the list of regrets of people on their death bed was that they could have been happier but were not. They had come to realize at the end of their life that the were in control of their happiness all along. So often we allow others or circumstances control whether we are happy or not. 🙁

  13. i feel we have more than a 12% chance to control the amount of happiness we feel, but whatever it takes, it is something that we all seek.

  14. Kahlil Gibran said, “work is love made whole”. If we’re lucky enough to be doing work we love, we feel happy. Jimmy Buffet’s song, “It’s My Job” sort of summarizes the idea that we have more control over our happiness than we think. I recently read The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. She devotes a year to discovering ways to be happy. Most end up being pretty simple.

  15. Gosh, I guess I’m pretty lucky, as I’d say I’m happy the lion’s share of the time. Like others who have commented here, I get a big kick out of being able to do what I love–I get up each day , commute from bedroom to office, and write for a living. I feel incredibly blessed that I’m able to make that work, set my own schedule, etc. I also derive tremendous pleasure from doing something for someone else..it just makes everyone feel good. 🙂 havin’ a crummy day? Do a little something for someone else and you’ll be amazed how much better you feel. 🙂 have a HAPPY Monday, pal!

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